The Broncos have spent real resources trying to lock down the back end of their defense, and the top of the safety room still looks strong. The concern now is what comes after that.
With P.J. Locke gone to the Dallas Cowboys in free agency, Denver’s depth at safety suddenly feels a lot thinner than the names at the top would suggest.
The big picture starts with the starters. Denver made Jones a priority in the 2024 offseason, and he rewarded that move with a strong first season.
The Broncos then went looking for a better fit next to him, with Locke handling that role in 2024. A year later, they turned to Talanoa Hufanga in the 2025 offseason, and the idea of pairing Hufanga with Jones carried plenty of buzz.
That pairing never quite reached the level many expected, but Hufanga still stood out as one of Denver’s best free-agent additions. His ball skills were a mixed bag - the Broncos saw too many dropped interceptions - yet his versatility gave the defense another layer and made life harder for opposing quarterbacks. He brought a different kind of stress to the field.
Jones, though, was the bigger issue in 2025. His play slipped from the level he showed in 2024.
He remained a dependable starter, but not at the same standard, and the source of that decline was tied in part to how he was being used. Then came the season-ending injury late in the year, which forced Denver to lean on its depth.
Locke handled that stretch well before leaving for Dallas in free agency. Jones is now entering the final year of the contract he signed with Denver in 2024.
That leaves Key as the next man up. He is the third safety now, and while he did get on the field on defense in 2025, the sample was tiny.
What makes him especially interesting is that he was a standout on special teams, good enough to earn second-team All-Pro honors. The wrinkle is that Denver has generally not used its third safety in that special-teams-heavy way, so his role is a little unusual compared with what the Broncos have typically done.
Behind him, the Broncos have two more backups who are expected to make the roster: Skinner and Anderson. Anderson arrived as a free-agent signing after serving as a special-teams ace for the Cincinnati Bengals. Skinner and Anderson have both taken defensive snaps, but neither has made a strong impression there.
Scott and Robinson are also in the mix, though they appear more likely to be fighting each other for a practice squad spot than pushing one of the expected roster players off the team. Scott was one of the Broncos’ last three draft picks, and because he has only been playing safety for a few years, he remains an intriguing developmental piece.
If Hufanga and Jones stay on the field, and if Jones can rebound from a down 2025, Denver could have one of the league’s better safety tandems. And if injury strikes again, the Broncos are banking on Key to handle a bigger defensive role based on the small but promising look they’ve already gotten.
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There is also a fresh layer of competition coming from the draft. Kage Casey, a fourth-round pick who played tackle in college, is being looked at at guard in rookie minicamp, which tells you the Broncos are not treating that spot as untouchable. Powers still has the inside track, but with Palczewski established and Casey in the mix, Denver suddenly has more options than it did a year ago. [Read more 🡒]